At three in the afternoon on the third day of no sightings, something else happened. A collection of dark clouds started to gather around our village. We had just finished afternoon classes when the sky turned almost completely black.
Students gathered around the windows and pointed at the rumbling thunder. Lightning flashed in the sky and all at once the ceiling lights went dark. Someone's homeroom teacher called over the screaming children for everyone to get flashlights. The school's emergency lights flashed on and the hallways glowed a dim yellow.
Teachers across the school did their best to quell the shuffling, screaming, or whooping children. A gaggle of kids in my class started to sing campfire songs. I cast them a look of unease. There was something going on. I walked to the window and looked into the sky, thinking about something Master Liu had taught me. "There are only three things that can alter the weather; a Taoist Master, a green ghost, and a flying zombie." I smiled at the memory. "Zombies can't fly." I whispered to the window. "What's doing this?" I asked. What else could do this? I thought about the king of ghosts or legendary zombies, I was daydreaming and lost in the rippling black clouds when they split in a strike of lightning. I shook my head and waited for the thunder.
It came with a boom that was followed by several screams of fright. I jerked my head around to find my screaming classmates. The screams turned into laughter as rain started pattering against the window and kids swung their flashlights. I felt a spatter of cold on the back of my neck and turned to the window. "Is it open?" I thought. Reaching towards the window, the lightning illuminated something else outside, something that was looking back in.
Clinging to the flagpole was the disheveled pale-faced man. His black eyes sank into mine. His purple mouth gaped open in a wild smile. My foot moved back and bashed into the seat behind me. I let out a gasp of fear and fell into the chair with a loud thud. Thunder shook the school.
Several students started laughing, a few asked what was wrong. Another girl screamed, but again it turned to laughter. They hadn't seen him..
I opened my mouth to warn them, but no words came out. I glared at the spot where I'd seen him, but there was nothing there. I let the words die unspoken.
Lightning is full of Yang air. I remember that, Master Liu told me that. Why isn't the frozen ghost afraid of the storm?
I remembered the fire that Zuo Qingmu had tried to use on the spirit. I remembered the frozen cold on his finger. "It's the Yin air," I thought, "His Yin air must be heavier than a black shadow ghost. Yang air can't hurt him…"
Lightning flashed again and I averted my eyes, not wanting to see him.
The rain lasted less than twenty minutes. The black clouds faded as the rain dissipated from the sky. The sky lightened gradually and returned to normal.
I watched the sky turn blue and breathed a sigh of relief.
I closed my eyes and realized I'd been clenching my jaw throughout the storm. My head ached and my teeth hurt from the strain. I raised my hand and asked to be excused. My teacher rolled his eyes and waved his hand at me saying, "The day's over anyway. You're all dismissed."
Zhao Jie met me in the hallway and matched my step. "What was that all about? It was the ghost wasn't it?"
"Why do you say that?" I asked him, caught off guard.
"Intuition." He said curtly.
I told him what I'd seen and watched his face lose its color. When I mentioned my headache he withdrew something from his pocket and slapped it on my shoulder.
"Ow! What was that?" I asked. He opened his hand and revealed Tong Mei.
"Don't do that!" I pulled the necklace from my shirt and showed it to him. "I have this remember? I'm protected!"
"Oh." Zhao Jie said, and put away Tong Mei.
I looked at him seriously and spoke carefully, "He might be after us, Zhao Jie. You should carry a safety amulet as well as Tong Mei. I don't want you to get enchanted."
I spent the next few days incredibly tense and on edge. I was waiting for the shadow man to appear any and all times, but he never did. After two months and no more sightings, we closed in on summer break. I put him to the back of my mind and let myself relax, focusing on our final exams and nothing more.
I was preparing for my English exam after school when one of the high school teachers came into the room. "Are you Xiao Yong?" He asked. I nodded. "Come with me, someone is here for you."
I did as instructed and tried to keep up with the teacher's long strides down the hallway. Trying to catch my breath I asked, "Who is it?"
He didn't look at me, but said, "Some old man that claims to be your godfather."
A huge smile blossomed on my face and I felt my heart beat quicken with excitement. "Master Liu is here?" I asked. The teacher didn't respond. He marched me to the office, opened the door, and then went about his business.
Five men were waiting inside of the office. I knew four of them. My head teacher shuffled his hands awkwardly behind his desk. Master Liu sat regally with his hands folded in his lap. Next to him was Zuo Qingmu in the same old black jacket. The third man was the Village Head, who looked old and tired. The final man was older than Master Liu. He wore a Chinese tunic suit that made him look very important. His baldhead gleamed in the overhead light, while the few long white hairs that still clung to it waved in a non-existent wind.
"Godfather! Senior Fellow Apprentice Left! What are you two doing here?"
Master Liu gave a thin smile. "Later, first we need to know about the frozen spirit."
Everyone in the room nodded their head.
Master Liu continued, "Apparently this is a recurring problem, and it is something we need to deal with now." He peered down at me.
My head teacher spoke up, "For the safety of the school, what should we do first?" His beady eyes rolled to each of the other men one by one.
"Close and seal the rear side of the building, every door and window. There are several tombs back there and they're displacing the Yang air of the students. This building's air has become quite thick with Yin energy.
"You told me the opposite would happen when we built this establishment! Students bring in Yang air to quiet the Yin air!" He waved his hands in great wild circles, "What happened to that?"
Master Liu placed his fingers together in a steeple and sighed. "Nothing has changed, Headmaster Shen. There are fine details involved in arranging the Feng shui, dampening the Yin air, and placing the students for the best balance. I can only assume that you've been assigning students to classes without addressing this, yes?" He paused and peered at the head teacher. "And there've been several supernatural events, yes?" The head teacher nodded, his mouth turning down in a frown.
"Seal the rear of the building and begin the construction of several ponds. These ponds will be under the observation of a stone lion statue. My Junior Nephew Apprentice will assist you with marking the locations. When this is complete, the frozen spirit should not be able to approach the grounds any longer."
"Thank you." Headmaster Shen said.
"To further assist you and your school," Master Liu said, "I'll need my godson. Can you excuse him from the end of the year preparation and examinations?"
"Yes of course! Take him! Take whatever you need!" Headmaster Shen all but shouted.
"Master Liu's back and I don't have to take tests?" I thought, the happiness rolling over me in waves. I turned to smile at Master Liu, but the bald man caught my eye. He was staring at me intensely, as if looking right into me.
"Who are you?" I thought, "And what do you want?"